A robocall is any phone call made using an automatic dialing system or that contains a pre-recorded or artificial message. Even if a live person is on the end of the line, the call may have been made using an auto dialer.

Robocalls have frequently been used for automated marketing purposes. This is seen with the number of companies that have been hit with lawsuits based on allegations of using robocalls to promote their services.

Prescott-Martini works with businesses to implement STIR/SHAKEN and establish more reliable, secure communications. It’s critical for any organization to know when to pick up the phone and when not to. It’s also equally important that their own calls are reputable and verified as legitimate.

In this post, we’ll provide you with a beginner’s guide to the Prescott Martini, LLC robocall blocker and the benefits of using it to help mitigate these problems.

Why Are Robocalls A Concern?

As mentioned above, robocalls have become common in society and are generally just an annoyance. One can get a high volume of them over time, as millions of these are made to Americans daily. Someone answering these calls may be able to tell that they are not legitimate and simply hang up, but for others, it’s not as noticeable when the calls are fraudulent in nature.

For example, an older consumer isn’t aware of the commonality of scam calls and answers one that sounds like it could be relevant to their finances, business, or other matters. The possibility of the call being a scam may not occur to that person until it’s too late and they’ve already given away their personal data, putting them at risk in numerous ways.

How Do Robocall Blockers Work?

One of the most prevalent solutions to the robocall problem is to simply block any call that appears to be illegitimate. After all, if scam calls don’t reach their targets, it’s obviously much more difficult for that person to fall victim to that kind of scam. One potential pitfall of blocking calls is that the system can’t accurately distinguish between actual calls and robocalls at a high rate.

Luckily, it can be made easier by STIR-SHAKEN. This protocol was designed to authenticate calls made within a network which is now a legal requirement for all telecom service providers in the United States. Calls are verified through a process that authenticates the caller's identity and the call’s point of origin.

How The STIR/SHAKEN Process Works

With STIR/SHAKEN, the call originator sends a destination number, via the MySQL data link, to Prescott-Martini for STIR/SHAKEN treatment. Here’s what happens then:

• Prescott-Martini receives the MySQL data query from you. We then add a “verified caller-ID” from our ANI inventory (this can also be your existing ANIs that are ported to Prescott-Martini).
• We will then produce our Service Provider signature certificate that has been generated by the national STIR/SHAKEN administrator and is accepted by every major telephone carrier in the U.S.
• We return the MySQL data to you for insertion into your call SIP header. We have produced an API where you can add/edit/delete any ANI in your account.
• The destination call receiver sees a message similar to this on its caller ID screen (call from Mom). If the token is B or C level, the receiver may get a different message.

Let Us Help Keep Your Calls More Secure

Prescott-Martini helps telecom service providers implement STIR/SHAKEN on their networks to keep calls as secure as possible. When you work with us, you can be rest assured that your callers will be safer from scams and assured in their ability to make and receive calls securely. Contact us now to get started or to learn more.